The Sweetness Factor
by bigbangenthusiast
Summary: A reluctant Sheldon spends the afternoon in the country with Amy.


**A/N: Happy Shamyversary! Seven (!) years ago today (May 24, 2017), Shamy met for the first time. My babies have come a long way since then!**

 **I wrote a brand new fic to mark the occasion. Coincidentally, today also marks the one-year anniversary of the first fanfic I ever wrote. Anyway, enough talk. I hope you enjoy!**

Amy applied a dab of sunscreen on her nose and donned a wide-brim floppy hat.

"I can't even see your cute face under that thing," Sheldon muttered.

"Well, it wouldn't be cute anymore if my skin turned the shade of a lobster." She handed him the tube. "You should apply some too. I'd hate to see your handsome face sun damaged."

"If it were up to me, we wouldn't even be here," he grumbled but accepted the proffered skin-saving product.

"It will be worth it." She watched as he carefully massaged it into his skin. "You missed a spot."

Sheldon stood still as his girlfriend reached up and blended the white liquid along his cheekbone and leaned into her touch until she extracted her hand to grab his mosquito net hat from the backseat and two empty ice cream buckets. They walked hand in hand to the wooden fruit stand and were greeted by a young man in overalls and a red plaid shirt.

"Well, good afternoon, folks. I see you brought your own buckets. Just follow me."

They followed the farmer down a grassy path towards a sea of bright red strawberries. Amy breathed in the fresh country air, a pleasant change to the smog-filled atmosphere in the city. She sent her boyfriend an apologetic look when he tightened his grip as they passed a chicken coop.

"I'm Seth, by the way."

"I'm Amy and this is Sheldon."

"Well Amy and Sheldon, you chose a beautiful day to come out here. Where are you from?"

"Pasadena," Amy replied.

"Nice city. Has kind of a small town feel."

Sheldon tuned out as Amy and Seth engaged in mundane chit chat. He wondered how on earth his girlfriend had such a hold over him that he went along with her plans with little resistance. He peeked down at her from under the brim of his hat. Though he couldn't see her face, he knew by the tone of her voice that she was already enjoying their outing. Then, as if sensing his eyes on hers, she tipped her face up towards his gaze and smiled brilliantly. The corners of his mouth turned up in response. She squeezed his hand then turned her attention back to the other man. Sheldon's thoughts were interrupted when they suddenly stopped at the foot of the hill, and Seth began explaining their choices.

"We grow two varieties of strawberries. Over to the right, we have our June-bearing plants. We chose to grow the Chandler variety as it's well-suited to our climate here in southern California. To our left we have Albion, an everbearing variety. Both are excellent for eating fresh, though I prefer the sweeter flavor of the Chandler. However, if you plan on making any jam or pies, I would suggest the Albion. Or you can try both if each of you wishes to pick a different variety."

Amy turned to her boyfriend. "Sheldon, do you have a preference?"

"Let's go with the Albion. My mouth is watering thinking about the pie you're going to make me."

Amy rolled her eyes as Seth led them to the left side of the field. "You mean the pie _we_ are going to make."

"Have either of you ever picked strawberries before?"

They both shook their heads no.

"You can start in this row, one of you on each side. Look for berries that are completey red and tug them gently off the plant like this." He bent down to plant level to demonstrate and dropped the berry into Amy's bucket. "Many times they are hidden, so make sure you lift the leaves to find them all. Do you have any questions?"

"I have a PhD in physics. I think I can handle harvesting strawberries," Sheldon replied haughtily.

"Don't mind him. I think we'll do just fine. Thank you so much."

"You are most welcome! Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is the flags." He plucked a tiny white plastic flag on a metal stick from the ground at the beginning of the row. "When you're done picking, whether it's at the end of the row or somewhere in between, just place the flag in that spot so we know where the next person should begin."

Seth handed Sheldon the flag. "When you're done, just meet me back at the stand to weigh your harvest. And feel free to give the berries a taste," he called over his shoulder, as he walked back up the path to greet his next customers.

Sheldon twirled the flag between his fingers. "Some flag," he snorted. "You would think a berry farm would have a berry design on their flags."

"Not everyone is as excited about flags as we are. Seth probably sees it as just a tool," she pointed out. "Let's get picking."

Amy crouched down, which was no easy feat in a skirt. She looked up to find Sheldon towering above her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," he grumbled.

She batted her eyelashes. "Because you love me."

"Vixen," he muttered.

"Come on, Sheldon. This will go much quicker if you help," she pointed out, as she slowly began filling her bucket.

"I don't want to get dirty."

"There's nothing wrong with a little dirt. It will wash right off."

"Nothing wrong with… Do you hear yourself, Woman?"

"Please? For me?" She pleaded.

The look on her face melted his resistance. "Fine, but if my clothes are permanently stained, it's all on you." He knelt down on the other side of the row and shuddered as his pants touched the bare soil. "I can't do this!" He whined as he unfolded his long legs and stood, dusting off his pants.

"No berries means no pie."

"Even the enticement of pie won't change my mind."

She stood and turned her back on him as she started up the path, leaving the bucket of berries behind.

"Where are you going?" He called after her.

"To the car."

"You're leaving me here?" He asked, incredulously.

"I'm just going to get something. I'll be back soon."

He watched helplessly as her form retreated over the peak of the small hill. He glanced around at the other people - couples, families, and singles - crouched down without a care in the world. "Come on, Cooper. You can do this," he chided himself.

He bent his knees and slowly lowered his body then straightened his legs just before they made contact with the ground. He made several more failed attempts before Amy finally came into view. As she drew nearer, he noted a small, clear rectangular package clutched in her hand and a colored bag slung over her shoulder.

She presented him with the package. "I remembered I had this in the trunk."

He turned it over in his hands, his brow furrowed. "A rain poncho? There's not a cloud in the sky."

"It's to put on over your clothes so you don't get dirty. I also brought you this reusable grocery bag to kneel on in case the poncho is too short to cover your legs."

"You're so thoughtful!"

"Well, I know how hard this is for you. I just wanted to make you more comfortable."

"You're the best." He tore open the package and slipped on the clear plastic garment as Amy smoothed the grocery bag on the ground.

Without the worry of soiling his clothes, Sheldon knelt down and began examining the berries. Minutes later he glanced over at his girlfriend crouched across from him. While her bucket was quickly filling up, he had only a handful.

"How are you finding so many?"

She shrugged. "Maybe your side was picked over and mine wasn't."

He watched her carefully as she tugged her next berry off its stem. "Amy, that one isn't completely red. It's more of a magenta."

"Sheldon, you're being too picky. That's probably why you think there aren't as many on your side."

"But Seth said to look for berries that are completely red."

"He meant ones that don't have anymore white on them. I'll prove to you that this one is ripe." She leaned over and held the berry next to his lips.

He pulled his head back slightly. "What are you doing?"

"I want you to taste this and tell me what you think."

"We haven't paid for it yet."

"It's okay, Sheldon. We're allowed to have a taste."

He tentatively opened his mouth a fraction of an inch. Amy gently pressed the berry against his lips until the tip of his tongue darted out. He closed his eyes and savored the slight sweetness upon his tastebuds. When he opened his eyes, he was staring back at his girlfriend's questioning gaze.

"How was it?"

"I didn't get much of a taste," he admitted.

"Open wider," she instructed.

He did as he was told. She popped the berry into his mouth then sat back on her heels as he chewed thoughtfully.

"So?" She asked.

"It was better than I expected."

"Good. Now you can pick all those berries without any fear," she declared before plunging her hands into the leaves once more.

"Hold on."

"What now, Sheldon?"

He picked a strawberry, leaned across the plants, and used his free hand to tilt up the brim of his girlfriend's hat. "Not until you have a taste. I would hate to go to all the trouble of picking, then it turns out you don't even like them. Now open up."

Amy obliged. She closed her eyes to better focus on the taste.

"So?" Sheldon asked.

She swallowed then opened her eyes. "It's sweet."

"It is," he agreed, "but not as sweet as you. No comparison."

"Aww! Sheldon!"

"It's true."

"I'll bet the Chandler berries are sweeter."

"Nothing is as sweet as you."

Amy set her hat next to her bucket then stretched her body over the greenery separating their bodies. She angled her head and pressed a soft kiss onto her boyfriend's lips.

When she leaned back, he licked his lips."Sweet in both senses of the word."

Amy leaned in again, this time kissing him more passionately. "Mmm… You're extra sweet too," she confessed.

"As much as I'm looking forward to that pie, I wouldn't object to keeping some of these on hand for just eating. Perhaps we should have brought more buckets."

Amy smiled slyly. "We can come back next weekend if we need to," she promised.


End file.
